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Roasted squash with lentils with toasted seeds
youryum.com/recipes/roasted-squash-with-lentils-with-toasted-seeds · serves 4

Roasted squash and lentils with seed crunch

Toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds add the crunch that soft squash and lentils need, without turning the dinner into a salad.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Gluten free
  • high-fiber
Maren Ashby in her kitchen, in a dark apron, looking away from the camera
By Maren Ashby · Writes and tests everything here
Published 1 August 2026
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Roasted squash lentils and toasted pumpkin seeds with herbs
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Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Total
50 min
Serves
4
Per serving
566kcal
Effort
Easy

Seeds are more useful here when they are toasted separately. If they go on the tray from the beginning, the squash is still hard when the seeds have crossed from golden to bitter. A small frying pan gives you a minute-by-minute view, and that is enough.

Use pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or both. I like both because pumpkin seeds puff and crackle while sunflower seeds bring a quieter, nutty crunch through the lentils.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Squash and lentils

Seed topping

To finish

Equipment

  • Large roasting tray
  • Medium saucepan
  • Small frying pan

Method

  1. Roast the squash

    Heat the oven to 220°C fan. Toss the squash with the oil and a pinch of salt, then roast on a large tray for 30 to 35 minutes, turning after 20 minutes. Aim for tender centres and browned edges.

  2. Cook the lentils

    Simmer the lentils, carrot, celery and stock in a saucepan for 22 to 25 minutes. Drain when tender and leave them in the warm pan while the squash finishes.

    Hands toasting pumpkin and sunflower seeds in a small pan

  3. Toast the seeds

    Put the pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and cumin in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Stir for three to four minutes until the pumpkin seeds start to pop. Add the maple syrup and salt, stir for 20 seconds, then tip the seeds onto a plate.

    Do not leave them in the hot pan. Residual heat takes them from golden to burnt while you are plating.

  4. Season the lentils

    Stir the lemon juice and zest through the warm lentils. Taste for salt and add a little olive oil if they look dry. Acid at this stage keeps the seeds from making the plate feel heavy.

  5. Finish with crunch

    Spoon the lentils onto a platter and add the roasted squash. Scatter over the warm seeds and parsley just before serving. Keep any extra seeds in a small bowl at the table.

Squash lentils pumpkin seeds sunflower seeds lemon herbs and spices arranged
Two kinds of seed make a topping that is crisp without being hard.

Toast by sound, then by colour

Pumpkin seeds announce themselves. After two or three minutes they begin to pop and lift in the pan, while sunflower seeds colour quietly. Use both signs together: a few pops, a pale golden edge on the sunflower seeds and a smell that has moved from raw to nutty. Take the pan off the heat then. The syrup goes in after the seeds are toasted because sugar burns faster than the seeds themselves.

Stirring the maple syrup through for only 20 seconds gives the topping a thin glaze rather than a hard brittle coating. Tip it onto a plate so the hot pan cannot keep cooking it. If the seeds stick together, separate them as they cool. A few clusters are good, but a solid sheet is awkward to spoon over lentils. Keep the seeds dry until the last moment. Their job is contrast, and moisture is the one thing that removes it.

Nutrition

Per serving, for 4 servings. Estimated from ingredient weights — it moves with the brands and cuts you actually use.

NutrientPer serving
Calories 566 kcal
Protein 21 g
Carbohydrate 73 g
Fibre 20 g
Fat 22 g

Source: Estimated from ingredient weights, USDA FoodData Central

Questions

Can I use nuts instead of seeds?
Yes. Chopped walnuts or hazelnuts are good, but toast them for less time and watch closely because their higher fat content makes them darken quickly.
Can I toast the seeds in the oven?
Yes, but use a separate small tray and check after five minutes. Do not put them on with the squash at the start; they will burn before the squash is ready.
Can I make the lentils with canned ones?
Use about 500 g drained canned lentils. Warm them with the carrot and celery in stock for five minutes, then drain and dress.

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